Unit 26 assignment 2 FINAL

LINK

Unit 26 assignment 3 FINAL (Updated)

The film i have chosen for my assignment is...

STAR WARS

Trailer for latest release -

http://starwars.com/watch/ep3_trailer.html

Target Audience -


Star Wars has a cult fan base which is still running now even after the end of the films and books. Large groups of fans have been known to camp outside movie theaters this just shows their dedication to these films not treating them as 'just' a film but as a huge part of their lives. These fan bases are like cults where a member will have a large portion of there lives devoted to the Star Wars Saga. Star Wars targeted audience was directed at the male teenage market, being sci-fi dubbed as a 'epic space opera',  it created another fantasy world for viewers to go into and this appeals to a wide audience this is because it has significant help with them forget about problems in their own lives, and lets them go into this dream world. Star Wars is known all over the world, Lucasfilm and AtomFillms holds a annual contest called 'The official Star Wars fan film awards' which showcase the growing genre of 'fan films' which are made for and by the fans about the fans of the Star Wars Saga.

Marketing and success -

Click to see image

Look at the link above, the image displayed is a poster from one of the star wars movies. As you can see the iconic lightsabers are evident, these are one of the most common/iconic props within star wars, this is a good way to market the film because people see the lightsabers and instantly know its star wars. This is a good technique to target the mainstream fans. There is spaceships in the bottom left corner which identify's the film is of sci fi genre. This could attract sci fi fans who may have not seen a star wars movie before. The space orientated background would do the same. The dark atmosphere with darth vader in the back could foreshadow the narrative and attract the explorers within psychographics. This is an effective poster as it attracts two groups of psychographics and it is an interesting eye catching poster. It targets the stereotypical sci fi fans. The whole dark nature of the poster is set within most advertising products for the sega and it has become an iconic layout and fans recognize the theme immediately.



Here is a snapshot from the star wars website. As you can see there is plenty of options for fans to attend. For instance there is links to games and activities,soundboards and even e cards. This is an effective way to market once a film(s) has already been released. fans could then come to the website to see what else star wars they could gain. This is effective as fandom is created for whoever would use these tools and there's a guarantee they will see the next film or product released intertwined with star wars. The Star Wars Novels were not so popular. Of course, they were well known, but not popular. Then, when the movies came by, the graphics on them were top class for that time, and the storyline was beautifully grafted. So people just went for the best there was, and, it was Star Wars. Now, it is popular in games,brands,clothing and even a religion. This gives the star wars sega an amazing amount of power. So, it is becoming popular as an escape route for those who find reality uninteresting. I think the owners and producers of the franchise use these marketing techniques to expand the target audience. Providing mini games online may attract the younger audience where as soundtracks and e cards may attract the older/teenage audience and provide them with something more than just the film. This is a great versatile marketing technique to create a larger target audience and still hold a fandom community around itself.

Fans strive for more than of one of the highest grossing film franchises of all time. Once they have watched the films they want more. This is a great opportunity for the franchise to market towards these fans with the products they release. A 'real' fan would want to purchase books,posters,toys and any other star wars related product they can get their hand on. Look at the picture below, you can see that some toys released by star wars are collectible, and don't go for the cheapest price. Fans strive for these items so much to feel like they are a part of the buzz surrounding the films and almost make it realism.

Since the first release in 1977 until its latest release in 2008, in total worldwide box offices sales Star Wars has generated an average of $4,485,672,683.So in my opinion, the franchise is extremely successful and in most places around the world is a household name. Especially after considering the amount of merchandise the franchise has produced and even smaller independent businesses, it is clear how much of an impact Star Wars has had around the world. Anything from darth vader costumes to fridge magnets to star wars inspired baby clothes. You can find it. While the Star Wars films have been met with much acclaim and form the core of the franchise, it also enjoys a highly successful expanded universe, which features television series, toys, video games, books and even spin-off films. There’s approximately 70 million Star Wars books in print and its range of toys have accrued around $12 billion over the years, eclipsing the revenue generated by the films themselves.

 Here is another good example to talk about the use of marketing, as you can see the background is orange/red. The colour red is an eye catching colour which may indicate danger/trouble, this may be an indication to certain events within the narrative. This technique of using specific colours and use of facial expressions may give the audience a deeper meaning and make them intrigued and more determined to see the film. The use of the space orientated background and fictional characters such as yoda are iconographic features that catches the eye of any sci/fi or current star wars fan. Another great way to market their film by the use of small details that may entail another meaning.  For example the character at the top, his face has been enlarged larger than the other character which could be an insight towards his role in the narrative, his facial expression says this too. Maybe he will play an important and dramatic role within the film and this opens questions within fans/viewers minds to what may be revealed.


 

Comparison -

For my comparison I have chosen to talk about the Twilight series.
The whole twilight sega has a similar dark and eerie theme to its marketing products. For example the posters have a similar layout. Using colours to provide an insight towards the narrative. For example look at this poster,

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dMIJ4iX4eAifUi8cfTw7BGe3XyhWDw2UYjGzDgu_B7kwYsl_nljGh55g7RVtU1p4iSQiY9DzW-JmJ-Kaix7AsLAVtGX9mUGhL8DMaBAXahsKL45lcLS5ZTxg-ManIO_Ikc51qpfPZuyG/s1600/twilight+poster_1.jpg

As you can see its similar to the star wars poster, with a dark and eerie setting containing certain colours to entail what may happen within the plot. Also bringing main characters to the forefront to highlight their importance and role within the narrative. This seems to be a common marketing technique within posters. Twilight also has a huge fan base, just searching the word 'twilight' comes up with the relationship between the actors,fan sites,merchandise and news.

Although there isn't as many films as star wars, and hasn't been around as long. Twilight has still made a huge impact racking up a total of $3,352,322,180 since its first release to the latest one in 2012.

Fans have also been known to go to extreme limits within the twilight fandom community. Giving their opinions on the actors personal life affairs or situations to even giving abuse over social networks such as twitter.

A great marketing technique twilight used was releasing 3 different posters for one of their latest movies. This is aimed at the aspirers who desire to be or look like a certain character within the film. Providing the market with 3 posters instead of one was a great way to make fans triple the franchises profits. Why would fans purchase one poster when they could purchase 3? On top of all the merchandise. Unlike star wars, the stereotypical fans of twilight are aspirers. They aspire to look like a certain character, or even aspire to have a relationship with a certain character. So to market this group of people, alot of posters and advertisements featuring main characters have been modified to make them look better. Giving aspirers more of an urge to pursue the look they want. A marketing product Twilight has used to attract these aspirers is a perfume they have released: look here, this is a great product to market as all twilight stereotypical fans would buy the product to feel they are obtaining the image they desire.

Audience Reactions -

Each star wars film to date has received a rating higher than 5/10 on imdb, for example the 2005's Revenge of the sith movie under the star wars sega received a 7.7 out of ten and was rated by thousands of individuals.

Without such a positive response to each or the majority of the films, there wouldnt of been so many sequels and spin offs etc. So there is definitely an impact.

These results were the same for each star wars film, all reviewed and rated highly from thousands of people. Here is a few small critic reviews both positive and negative about the same film.

Audience theory -

Fans all around the world have connected with the Star Wars films, even to the extent of creating a real life religion dedicated to the Jedi.

Fans go to extreme lengths to feel like they are apart of the whole sensation surrounding or within the film. In fact, 2% of Brighton,UK are of the Jedi faith, which has surprisingly an official and serious religion.

Full length remakes and personal re-creations of the movies are spread all across YouTube. Fans become so connected with a film they need more than just the visuals, they have to have collectors items and every piece of merchandise going. To both their personal enjoyment and to support the franchise. If a movie had no fans, non atall. The company would go out of business, its that simple! The whole idea of 'tell a friend' is what makes fans so powerful, when friends converse the main topic is usually their interests or current events, any big time fan will share their love for the film. Almost like a disease, this will spread between friends which is a great marketing technique created by fans probably unintentionally. If it wasn't for fans Hollywood would probably never of made a sequel for any films. Fans give their feedback and support and contribute towards buying merchandise and anything branded with the Star Wars logo. Without fans, star wars wouldn't of been as huge as it is. Fact.

The official star wars websites features over 10 fan websites, all with their own logos and names relating to a certain event/group within each film. The impact and connection the films have had with individuals is so enormous that these fan sites have made it to the official website.

For an example of fandom, here is a link to a fan made high definition star wars full length film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppn89Nc29PQ

You can see the detail and effort put into this, how highly fans must think of star wars to create their own 40 minute films. Just this one fan made film out of hundreds,even thousands has racked up over 450,000 views and 5,000 positive ratings! This is just a small percentage of the impact Star Wars have made, fans have gone as far as tattoos and other incredible ideas to show their passion for the franchise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX2_MmqOU-c - Here is a link to a Star wars tribute to Luke Skywalker, the anticipating music along with the clips shows the fans passion for the films. There is thousands online which identifys how powerful a connection between a series of movies and fans. 

 At the end of the day, without its fans, Star Wars wouldn't be the 6th highest grossing movie of all time.

Technical Workshops (Tutorial)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8ey3yppV70

UNIT 26 ASSIGNMENT 2 PRESENTATION

Link here

Unit 26 assignment 3 notes

Audiences are much more powerful than the directors.
Directors can get tunnel vision, they may think their finished film is outstanding.
Knowing a films marketing was successful, you must look at the box office figures.

Pick a film with a fan following
Get as much information on fan made videos,merchandise,interviews with stars,official websites,reviews,fan made websites,sales figures,posters,billboards,trailers,competitions,tie in's with other products (soundtracks with artists,cars etc)

Types of films
- lord of the rings
- star wars
- the hunger games
- twilight
- star treck
- batman
- iron man
- spiderman


Psychographics are the labels we give to members of an audience, a target audience for a film can have more than one of the psychographics headings. My job is to prove how the marketing attracts these headings.
Psychographics are a way of labelling people. We can tell who the target audience of a film is by referring to the age rating.
The genre of the film helps us distinguish the target audience.
Judging by the narrative, you can hazard a guess at the target audience gender. For example, a film relating to cars would be aimed at the male gender, whereas twilight or romantic films may be aimed at women.
Can we label people as a psychographic?
- mainstreamer (likes security, recognisable brands. Afraid of change)
- aspirers (seek status, materialistic, typical younger people)
- succeeders (seek control, strong opinions and ideas, stability)
- explorers (seek discovery,explores new ideas,values difference and adventure. Typically younger, enjoy something with a twist, unique)
- reformers (seeks enlightenment. likes to be challenged, can form own opinion, very aware of social issues)
must be able to say a certain video is aimed at a certain audience and give reasons,proof, explain why it appeals to certain audience. Talk about marketing materials.

For each example of marketing
- what about it targets the audience (age/gender/genre/psychographics)
- Sound,content,stars,text,reviews,m-e-s, cin




I have chosen star wars for my film with a fan following, as there are thousands of fan made videos, trailers, tributes and even full length remakes of the film and fan's own creations.

Autuer presentation adaption.

Here is my additional post for my auteur presentation after hearing the feedback.

Here is another scene relating to Burtons use of sound, watch from 0:45 seconds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXtAy1-xTwA

As you can see, the music slowly starts to build up, the pace starts to increase the further Batman travels into a dark mysterious setting. A perfect mood is set at 1:03 when she asks 'where are we going?' the intense music dies down into a smaller tune, creating confusion leaving the audience so intrigued in this characters personality.  This soundtrack mixes brilliantly with the setting, which is another aspect of burtons uniqueness. Although there is a build up, its much different to the normal/typical soundtrack. The way it is used within this scene intensifies batman's character and the eerie narrative. This is evident as no intense action is taking place within the scene, there is no violent or aggressive scene taking place and you would not expect such a buildup to watch batman drive through a forest. But burton's use of sound makes this far more interesting and puts questions into the audiences mind.

Tutorial Notes

My part of the script.

Sound.

There are a number of different mircophones that may be used while recording, make sure you choose the correct one for your enviroment! Have a look at these different types of microphone and find the suitable one for you. (Show microphones on screen during each one)

Lavier mic - This microphone is small and clips onto your clothing (collar,shirt etc) This personal microphone allows hands free speech and is commonly used in television,theatre and public speaking. Make sure to place the microphone in a position where the possibility of the mic scratching against clothing is eliminated. As this would be amplified aswell.

Shotgun mic - Shotgun microphones are mostly high directional. They have small areas of sensitivity to the left,right and rear but are far less sensitive to the left and right as other microphones are. Due to the narrowness of sensitivity, these microphones are commonly used on television and film sets, in stadiums, and for field recording of wildlife.

Cardiod mic - This is the most common unidirectional microphone (unidirectional meaning the microphone is sensitive to sounds from one direction)

Sync.

Sync - This is when the sound is in time with the video/action taking place. This must be in time with the video so it makes sense

Non sync - This is sound that doesn't fit the image but still makes sense.

Out of sync - The sound does not fit the image and does not make sense (out of timing)

Unit 26 assignment 2 notes (negatives of the MPAA)

Negatives of the MPAA.

- The board classes sex scenes/female pleasure as offensive.
- Big names have had to cut scenes short to avoid a rating they don't want.
-  Walmart/Blockbuster will not advertise NC17 films, this could mean a loss of millions of dollars
- Its the only system that will not disclose who the members are.
- Studios will not release films if the rating is too high.
- Kimberley Pierce (Boys don't cry) received an NC17, the studio would not release it.
- Matt Stone received no notes or guidance from his film 'Orgasmo' as it was independent, but when he made the South Park movie (under a major studio), he was told what scenes to cut and remove. He received a completely different treatment
- Independent movie's are not treated the same as a big studio film.
- If you don't accept the rating, you struggle to advertise and market the film as it is classed as 'unrated'
- Kevin Smith claims ''if you choose to not accept the rating you cannot market it''
- No feedback is given unless you are part of a big studio.
- The system is set up to serve the studios.
- The big corporations own more than 90 percent of media around the world.
- Jay Landers is an ex rater for the MPAA, he had to sign an agreement to not talk about the company.
- The MPAA censors films, although they are not supposed to.
- They take away the ability for filmmakers to make choices.
- The MPAA have an ideology, they dislike things that make them uncomfortable and don't want others to see it.
- Very biased ratings board
- The MPAA are far more strict on sexual content than violence.
- Jamie Babbit made her film to educate young people, but thinks the MPAA may be homophobic.
- The MPAA can limit the intentions of the director.
- David Ansen claims the raters have more of a problem with homosexual scenes and they usually get rated higher.
- The raters have children over 20 and up to 30, although the board claims all children are aged 5-17
- The board has a scale which has different variations within each rating.
- Jay Landers claims no openly homosexual people were on the rating board.
- European ratings are more strict on violence than sexual scenes, unlike the MPAA.
- In fact, nearly four times as many films were rated NC17 for sex scenes than violence.
- The MPAA go out of their way to defend violence within their films.
- The pentagon censors anything negative within military films.
- The board rates documentaries,although reality should not be rated as it is real life.
- The board claims raters serve for 3-7 years, although one rater has been found to serve 9 years.
- One rater was found to have no children, although the board claims they are all parents.
- The appeals board members are both associated with the church.
- The board does not want to give total freedom to directors.
- The appeals board is full of major cinema owners.
- All the people on the appeal board were men.

Unit 26 Assignment Work

What is the MPAA?

Motion Picture Association of America - 

The Motion Picture Association of America is an american trade association that represents the six big hollywood studios. It was founded in 1922 as the motion picture producers and distributers of america (MPPDA) to advance the business interest of members.

The six major studios under the MPAA are - 

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Universal City Studios LLC; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

What are the American Film Ratings?

The MPAA administers a motion picture rating system used in the United States to rate the suitability of films themes and content for certain audiences. The system was first introduced in November 1968, and has gone through several changes since. The rating system is completely voluntary, and ratings have no legal standing.

Script link

http://sambyron.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/auteur-presentation-script-unit-26.html

Presentation prezi

Presentation script

An auteur study - Tim Burton

I have chosen to explore the use of mise en scene and sound within Tim burtons films.

Mis en scene -

To nominate Tim Burton as an auteur, there are many characteristics to take into consideration. The most common characteristics of his style consist of his gothic and dark look. This is usually portrayed within the makeup and costume of characters used in his films. This is one of the strongest arguments to say Burton is an auteur. The 1989 Batman film backs up this point. In the film, Batman discards the history of batman; the camp 1960's tv series. The in comic jokes and this time creates an intricate dark and aggressive tone within batman. In addition, Tim Burton then set the path for the following batman characters. The dark knight etc. Tim burtons gothic style is highlighted in this clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfvKvTlQHuw

Look at batman within the first half of the clip. His dark character is outlined. Pause at 0:29, you can see batmans face is hidden in dark shadows and almost engulfed by the setting. This is a typical burton scene, the dark background and eerie setting creates a perfect habitat for his version of batman.
The genre of the film Batman is an action fantasy, Batman is a social outcast. Living in a cave and being a very lonesome,dark character. This theme is used a lot within burtons films, another film directed by tim burton which includes a dark social outcast is Edward Scissor Hands. The same gothic design is used with the costume and makeup. This sort of character is a stamp of Burtons uniqueness.

For example,here is a scene to show how Tim Burton creates a similar setting within his films. watch this clip from Edward Scissorhands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q2G5pIXEb8

As you can see, edward scissorhands is walking through a dark shadowed area confronting a character, just like batman was in the clip above. Just like the batman scene, the setting contains shallow areas of lowkey lighting. Burton uses this in a unique way to create an eerie scene that swallows the character inside of the setting. Adding tension and curiosity for the audience.  Another example of tim burton using a social outcast.

My comparison to another film from a different director.
I have chosen to compare 'Batman' the 1966 movie to Tim Burtons edition.
Watch this trailer from the 1966 batman film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3uhsEaw_-M

Even in the first 20 seconds of the clip. You can see how the costume and setting has differed from Tim Burtons version. Before Tim Burton directed the 1989 version, batman was looked at as a comical character. This is evident within the trailer. His costume is far less interesting and eye catching, his body language alongside the setting makes batman seem even more comical. In my opinion this is proof Tim Burton is an autuer. He has turned a comical spoof like character into a character which creates fear and a high level of interest. Tim Burton had changed Batman in an artistic way,  for example the first half of the clip which shows dialogue between batman and robin. The scene has no lowkey lighting, it has high key lighting and no dark,eerie enviroment. This is far less interesting then being intrigued by a Tim Burton's adaptation.


Sound -
Back to the 1989 batman film, Tim Burton without a doubt has a distinct and unique way of using sound. For example, look at this clip (Play from 1:22)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63iuB-cSY7Q

As the joker shoots his boss, carnival/circus music starts to play. This is a contrapuntal soundtrack which identifys Burton's uniqueness. You would think scary/dramatic music would be playing but Tim Burton ignores this. This shows the audience the joker is amused and enjoying murdering his boss. This creates fear and suspense in a unique way. This clip shows Burtons twist on the film. Using contrapuntal sound in this scene creates a sense of shock for the audience as the joker finds it amusing.

If you watch this scene from the Dark Knight (not directed by tim burton)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-rkpgchJOA
 You can see that this time, a contrapuntal soundtrack is not evident. Although there is a soundtrack, but it fits the image, there is dramatic music creating a build up. Unlike Burton, this soundtrack is expected and typical for the scene. Where as Tim Burton creates an unexpected atmosphere within the scene in an artistic way. Instead of using what would be expected, this makes the audience more intrigued and interested in the character (s)

I would say Tim Burton without a doubt could be classed as an auteur, as he uses intricate and unexpected ideas to create fear and tension within the audience.

Notes.

Today we learnt about certain techniques for cameras including -

DCLR -
Focusing (draws the audiences attention, focuses on image)
Adjust the focus before lining up the shot.
ND Filter - neutral density filter (adds sunglasses to screen)
Depth of field - allows you to focus the camera on a particular feature

Focal length - the distance from the camera and where the image is formed.

Head space

Looking space

Log and transfer window - Doesnt move the file just shows the program where it is
Memory cards - stores the data/files
Card reader - Reads data from the memory card.
Difference between SD + compact flash - need a card reader for compact flash, but you can rename the files you upload onto final cut pro.

From final cut to youtube -
1 (right click on sequence)
2 (choose share)
3 (choose youtube setting)
4 (select destination folder)
5 (enter youtube details)
6 (click export)

Voice commands - In order
'Quiet'
'Camera rolling'
'Speed!'
'Sound recording/rolling'
'Speed'
'Clap/clapper'
'Action'

Slate - used to sync audio and video.